Twelve
Aeryn
The dagger”s hilt was cool in my palm as I traced the edge of its blade with my thumb. Nox leaving it on my pillow last night was completely unexpected.
While the gesture was appreciated, it also aggravated me that he”d given me his instead of the one he”d stolen.
Though, I couldn”t actually say I was upset. The king was a pain in my ass, but sometimes he was ...
My cheeks warmed at the memory of his hand stroking between my legs, coaxing pleasure from my body in waves until I cried out in release. The ache of wanting him hadn”t lessened. If anything, he”d made it worse.
He”d surprised me when he hadn”t so much as blinked when he”d seen the evidence of my innocence. Now I found him consuming my thoughts more and more.
I paced the small confines of my room, unable to sit still. We were to continue weapons training today in preparation for tomorrow”s hunt and I needed a clear head. Nox was a riddle I wasn”t about to solve and a distraction I couldn”t afford.
A sharp knock rattled my door. From inside the room.
“It must be nice having the ability to travel about in the cloak of shadows,” I commented airily despite the unwanted thrill sparking in my gut.
Progress, I”d call it.
Nox leaned back against the door, a vision of masculine grace in fitted black leathers. A smirk tugged at his lips as his gaze slid down my body. “It has its perks.”
I held up the blade and he lifted an eyebrow. “Thank you for this,” I said.
“You”re welcome. I trust you not to use it on me.”
I slid the dagger into my boot and crossed my arms. “Then why give it to me?”
“Why do you think?”
“You like toying with me?”
“I haven”t toyed with you. Not yet.”
I didn”t understand his words but I certainly understood the wolfish look in his eyes.
“You look ravishing when you”re flustered.”
I hated how easily he made me blush. “I have to be outside soon. Was there something you needed?”
“A kiss to start my day.” His eyes glinted with challenge and something more, something that made my pulse leap. “Unless you”d prefer I finish what we started in the east wing?”
I swallowed hard, torn between desire and annoyance. He was definitely toying with me, even if he thought he wasn”t.
“Stop tempting me, little menace.” Nox stepped close enough for me to feel the heat of his breath.
My hands fisted in his tunic, unsure if I wanted to pull him closer or push him away. “I didn”t do anything to you.”
“Oh, but you did.” Nox brushed his lips over mine, a teasing caress that left me aching for more.
Pulling back, his large hand cupped my jaw, thumb brushing softly across my cheek. “I didn”t like what happened yesterday. Don”t let it happen again.”
“Are you seri—”
He planted a hard kiss, effectively shutting me up. “Delicious,” he hummed. “Perfect way to start my day.”
The king stepped into the shadows, leaving me keyed up, and more perplexed than our prior interactions. I didn’t like where it was taking my thinking.
I had a feeling this was going to be a long day.
Today”s training proved more challenging than I expected. The weapons master, a patient fae named Eirik, had us practicing with bows and arrows, spears, daggers, and swords. He said he was preparing us for the hunt that would take place the following day.
Apparently hunting was a skill a queen should possess.
While I had experience making traps to catch creatures trying to steal crops, my skills with weapons were limited. A few contestants snickered each time I missed my target, their laughter wearing and difficult to ignore.
Zoriyah stood to the side, watching my every move. “Perhaps you should stick to farming. It seems weapons are beyond your capabilities.”
I held my tongue and continued practicing.
“Nothing to say, then?”
Instead of responding, I notched another arrow and released, cheering inwardly when it hit just to the right of the center circle. I snagged another arrow.
Zoriyah glided forward to stand behind me. I was hyperaware of her presence, could nearly taste the aggression seeping from her pores.
She reached for my wrist, the one holding the arrow, and I whirled away. Evasive move number four.
Thank you, Lorne.
For the first time, I studied Zoriyah. Really studied her.
Her posture straightened. “What are you staring at?”
The embodiment of bravado hiding silent desperation was the answer. One I kept to myself and instead asked a question. “Why do you only prey on those weaker than you?”
The others had gone silent, watching. Magic flickered around Zoriyah, but she restrained herself. She wouldn”t jeopardize her chances of winning.
“Because it”s easy,” Xerag answered in a bored tone.
“What?” she said to Zoriyah who was now focused on her. “I only verbalized what everyone already knows.”
Zoriyah”s frame shook and I thought she might lose her hold on that scorching fire magic.
Mirrelle cocked her hip saucily. “I don”t think Yah-Yah over there knew.”
“You”ll pay for those words,” Zoriyah vowed.
“Who? Me? I”ll pay?” Mirrelle pressed her palms to her ample chest with faux innocence. “Or did you mean Xerag? Both of us? What about Aeryn? Raina? Oh, or sweet Sofiya? You”ll burn her, too?”
“I”ll be queen and you”ll see exactly who I mean.”
I shook my head slowly. “I feel sorry for you.”
“You? You feel sorry for me??” she hissed between clenched teeth.
“Yes. Not all of us want to be the queen. You make enemies where there are none.”
I notched another arrow, keeping it pointed to the ground. “Now, if you”ll excuse me, this magicless farmer is trying to figure out how to not get killed so I can make it back to my land when this mess is over.”
I released the arrow, laughing when it hit the center of her target. Pure dumb luck, but it felt fantastic. I probably owed the gods for the small blessing.
Zoriyah”s aura disappeared from my back and I sighed. I didn”t fear her. She”d probably still try to kill me but not today.
Sofiya brushed by and squeezed my shoulder. “That was fabulous,” she praised.
The rest of the contestants went back to their spots on the range. I”d just missed the target once more when I noticed Astrid looking down the range at the results of my scattered performance.
Without looking at me, she spoke. “It”s not because she deems you weak, Aeryn.”
“What do you mean?”
“Zoriyah”s problem isn”t that you don”t have access to your well-store. Or your profession. Or even that you”re protective of others. Those are just the soft spots to target her aim.”
Astrid bent and picked up an arrow to hand to me. When my hand wrapped around the shaft, she didn”t let go. I looked into her midnight eyes, earnest and dark.
She leaned in and dropped her voice. “It”s because of how the king looks at you. She knows she could win the throne but not the heart of the male she”s coveted for years. And that, my friend, is a far bigger threat to you than anything else.”
Astrid let go and went back to her station to my right. Stupefied, I stared at her dumbly.
“Oh, and Aeryn?” she called as she pulled back her bowstring.
“Yes?”
“Stop thinking so hard.”
Her arrow whizzed through the air, striking dead center. “It doesn”t have to hit the bullseye. And it won”t if you think too much about it.”
She shot another arrow, this time at my target, breaking the arrow I”d landed closest to center. “Once you know the mechanics, instinct has to take over. If you have to act quickly, instinct will be all you have.”
“I don”t have time to perfect the mechanics, Astrid.”
“No, you don”t.”
I snorted and she grinned at me. The first one to reach her eyes since we arrived.
“So what do I do?”
“You still rely on your instincts, but with a weapon that”s familiar to you. And before you tell me you have no training, I”ll remind you that almost anything can be turned into a weapon. Even a glass vase. You seemed to handle that just fine. No, don”t talk. Just think on it. It will come to you.”
Right. Of course. It will just come to me.
After another twenty minutes, Eirik ordered us to switch to daggers, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I”d been throwing knives at trees and the occasional pest since I could hold one. I wasn”t an expert, but I wouldn”t make a fool of myself.
Once we”d wrapped up, I lingered after the others filed out of the training yard and asked Eirik for a little more time with target practice. He gave me an hour and looked uncomfortable when I thanked him profusely.
“Don”t thank me, thank him,” he”d said, pointing at Lorne watching me from the entrance.
Thankfully, they both let me be and I was able to clear my head. Without the others around, I threw with my weaker arm just to see. It wasn”t good, but I managed.
Trudging out of the yard, Lorne followed close behind. Why was he here?
“You really could have sent a guard, Sire.”
“No, I really couldn”t.”
Too tired to care, I headed to the stairs. As I reached the first landing, voices drifted, echoing quietly off the stone.
“Poison, they”re saying,” a female said in a hushed whisper. “But there”s no proof.”
“No need for proof when it”s so obvious,” another replied. “I heard he was going to change the succession. Prince Nox had the most to lose.”
My brows rose.
The servants moved on, their voices fading down the hall. Unease stirred in my gut as I considered the implications. If Nox had killed his father, what did that mean for the contestants? For the kingdom?
For me? I shook off the trepidation clinging to my thoughts.
I turned and walked straight into Lorne”s massive chest. The asshole did nothing to help when I bounced back, nearly falling.
“Lorne–Sire, I mean–”
His hands lifted in a stopping motion. “It”s best if you don”t ask questions about these things, Aeryn.”
My eyes narrowed. “These things?”
“Focus on your training and leave the politics to those who can handle them.”
“If Nox is somehow involved in–”
“Drop it,” Lorne snapped. “Immediately. If not for your own safety then for Sofiya”s.”
I bristled. “Do not threaten my friend, Sir Lorne.”
Lorne”s eyes softened, somewhat amused. Which only insulted me further.
“I”m not a threat to Sofiya”s safety. That wasn”t what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
His mouth set in a thin grim line. “The truth will change nothing right now. In fact, it will get innocents killed. Your only job is to survive and protect your friend. That”s it. Now get your ass upstairs.”
Begrudgingly, I did as told. I paused outside Raina”s room, considering asking someone I trusted about what I”d overheard.
After a moment”s hesitation, I knocked. No answer. I knocked again, louder, but the room remained silent. Afraid she was asleep and I was disturbing her, I kept walking.
The gossip echoed in my mind, as did the dagger Nox gave me. I ground my teeth against the worry threatening to choke me and stalked to my own room. There had to be a reasonable explanation for this.
There just had to be.
Later, as I lay awake on top of the covers. My mind wouldn”t shut off. There was too much swirling in my head.
Astrid”s words. The gossiping servants. Lorne”s warnings.
When the moon was high in the sky, I slipped out of bed and crept to the door of my chamber. Opening it, I peeked out. The halls were dim, the torches burning low.
I looked for light under each of my friend”s doors. Everyone was asleep. That, or sitting in a dark room.
“Everything alright, m”lady?” a soldier asked from his station further down.
“I couldn”t sleep. Sorry.”
I shut the door and paced the length of my chamber. Maybe walking would burn off some of the nervous energy.
A knock rattled my door, shattering my frantic thoughts. I opened it to find Liam standing there holding a covered tray.
“Good evening, Lady Aeryn.”
“Good evening, Sir Liam.”
He pushed past me and set his tidings on the small table.
Watching him, I left the door wide open. “Forgive me for asking like this, but what do you think you’re doing?”
“Only exactly what I”m told. Until tomorrow, Lady Aeryn,” he bowed with a flourish and left.
“You missed the evening meal.”
I jumped halfway out of my skin, spinning around. Tonight, Nox”s scent carried sweat and steel.
Instead of leaning, Nox was bent over the table, removing lids and lining up silverware. For one.
“I was worried you were unwell.” His gaze dropped to the dagger at my waist.
The memory of how it had gotten into my possession flashed through my mind, bringing a flush to my skin.
“I wasn”t hungry.” The nerves on my tongue were raw, my mouth dry as dust.
I cleared my throat. “Do you pop into the others” rooms like this?”
“What do you think?” he smirked, pouring my drink.
No. My gut said no. My lips refused to speak it, terrified I was wrong.
Nox pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit. I chewed on my lip.
“There you go again, menace, tempting me with your wiles.”
His voice was a dangerous, dangerous thing, bringing my body to life when he used that tone.
“Hungry or not, you need sustenance. But I”ll give you a choice. You can chew on the meal I had the cook prepare for you or I will chew on you.”
My temperature rose and the wild thing pushed to launch myself at him. Reluctantly, I sat and he scooted me forward.
I picked up the fork. “Is this poisoned?” I asked before realizing what I was saying.
Nox peered down at me and I suddenly felt very small.
“Do I strike you as the type of male who would use such sneaky means to get rid of someone?” His voice was deep and measured.
“That”s not an answer.”
Nox”s disappointing sigh had a weight to it, a pressure that bore down on me like a heavy hand.
“No, Aeryn. It”s not poisoned. Only a coward would stoop so low.”
The king disappeared.
I did need sustenance, it was true, but it took me a while to use the utensil in my hand. I ate the food without pleasure, cleaning the plate.
Foolishly, part of me needed to eat the meal because Nox had asked.